Don't let gangs form beachhead on Seacoast

People familiar with the Latin Kings know that the arrest of an alleged drug dealer in Hampton with ties to the gang is a matter of extreme concern.

People familiar with the Latin Kings know that the arrest of an alleged drug dealer in Hampton with ties to the gang is a matter of extreme concern.

On May 4, police arrested Jimmy "Jayda" Ambrosi, 31, on drug charges. Investigators believe Ambrosi has a leadership role in a Lowell, Mass., chapter of the gang.

During an undercover drug buy, police allegedly recorded Ambrosi saying he could "suffer consequences" from other Latin Kings if he didn't sell enough drugs. Clearly, the Latin Kings have their eye on our communities.

On Wednesday, prosecutors charged another alleged Latin King arrested with Ambrosi, Reinaldo "Chooki" Ruiz, 24. He is accused of seeking out witnesses in the pending drug case against him and six other suspects to prevent them from testifying. A victim of the alleged threats came forward, police said, because he feared for his family's safety.

Ruiz was scheduled to appear Wednesday at the 10th Circuit Court in Seabrook for a probable cause hearing on charges of criminal threatening with the use of a deadly weapon and tampering with a witness and informant, a man he called a "snitch."

This is how the Latin Kings and other gangs take over cities and towns. They get a toe-hold in a community, then, through intimidation and violence, slowly and insidiously grow their influence. When they get the upper hand, potential witnesses are too afraid to help police, then it's game over.

What does this fear look like?

There are communities not so far from the Seacoast where law-abiding citizens witness murders and refuse to speak with police for fear of retaliation against themselves and their families. There are communities not so far from the Seacoast where stray bullets fired by gang members kill innocents, and citizens feel powerless to do anything about it.

State and local police are absolutely right to take a zero-tolerance policy with Latin Kings and other street gangs.

Gangs are like a cancer. The sooner they are identified and neutralized, the more likely a community is to survive their onslaught. So we applaud recent efforts by Hampton and Seabrook police as well as the Attorney General's Drug Task Force to root out this problem before it has a chance to ingrain itself.

The Latin Kings' primary source of income, according to the FBI, is the street-level distribution of powder cocaine, crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana. The Latin Kings are known to be violent and have thousands of members here in the United States and abroad.

The Latin Kings have no fear of going to jail because they are protected there. In one particularly infamous case in New Bedford, Mass., after a judge sentenced a Latin King to prison he unzipped his fly and urinated on the courtroom floor in a show of contempt for the justice system.

The Latin Kings are not the only gang operating in New Hampshire. The FBI identified enough gang activity in the state to set up a task force in Manchester in 2008.

There are at least 25 known gangs already operating in the state and that number will grow unless law-abiding citizens courageously stand up and deny them access. We need to give the police the funds they need to fight the gangs, and we need to serve as their eyes and ears if we suspect gang and drug activity in our neighborhoods.

If we stand up to the gangs, they won't stay here. If we look the other way, then we'll only have ourselves to blame for the violence to follow.

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